Jack Ma Visit Leads To Rise In Number Of Enquries From China

His visit coincided with the launch
of mobile online training for travel agents in China rolled
out by the Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) to create top of
mind destination awareness and spur interest for travel
among the Chinese.

Travel agents have termed the visit
by the billionaire a major boost
and endorsement to their campaigns - that seek to woo
Chinese travelers into Kenya.

“As a result of his visit, I can assure you that
our work of marketing Kenya has been made easier,
interest to travel to Kenya has suddenly gone up and this
is positive feedback”, said Travel Service Bigeyes
International co-founder Vivien Zhang.

A top ten wholesaler of Africa and Middle East
General Manager Johnson Chen disclosed that his company has received
several enquires about Kenya that has been in the limelight in connection to
Jack’s visit and other China’s development projects in Keya including Standard
Gauge Railways.

“We anticipate to register an increase of travelers to
Kenya in the month of September through to October, Kenya is now among
the top sale destination owing to positives associations between the
two countries,” said Chen.

The tour operators were speaking over the weekendduring
promotional marketing campaigns by KTB in China’s cities of Beijing, Shangai
and Guangzhou.

KTB launched online mobile training for travel agents
selling Kenya’s products to enhance their knowledge on tourism packages the
country is offering.

In addition to this, KTB has planned to produce a
destination video specifically for the Chinese market to
sustain top of mind destination awareness among the Chinese.

KTB Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Betty Radier
in a statement said
China now listed among the top
ten tourist source market the country has potential for further
growth.

She added that KTB will invest more resources in strategic
marketing initiatives aimed at attracting the high-end consumer segments.

Last year, the market posted 47,860 arrivals up
from 29,790 recorded in 2015, indicating a growth of 60.7%.

“By end of April this year, we received 14,029 visitors
from the country compared to 10,407 recorded in the same period last
year, an increase of 34.8%,” said Radier.

Family travel, resulting
from the government’s visa waiver for children under the age of 16,
is among the factors contributing to the growth of the market.

The General Manager for Joy Way, an international travel
company Eric Zhu said Kenya will host more family travelers from next
year through a kid’s safari package that the company has developed.

“Family travel segment to Kenya is increasingly becoming
popular. In partnership with Kenya Airways, we are packaging this product
around wildlife and the train services that cater for large groups and
corporate clients,” he said